


When I am king, you will be first against the wall

by sickntiredd



Category: My Chemical Romance
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe - Historical, Captain!Gerard, M/M, Pirates, Sailors, Slow Burn, protective!gerard
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-19
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:42:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 14,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27103666
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sickntiredd/pseuds/sickntiredd
Summary: Frank Iero lives in a small harbor town. All seems well until a mysterious crew shows up in his bar one night.
Relationships: Frank Iero/Gerard Way
Comments: 38
Kudos: 50





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I have been reading fics for a pretty long time but I never really read a pirate AU. So why not write one myself? Please bear with me though, I am not a great writer and english is not my first language. I hope you'll enjoy anyway!

It was raining when Frank Iero woke up, not that this was anything special, since it always seemed to rain in this godforsaken town of his.

Frank heard his family in the other room talking and, surprised that they hadn’t tried to wake him, got out of bed to join them.

Before Frank decided to open the door to the living room he heard his parents having a hurried, whispered conversation.  
  
“Are you sure we should not worry, Henry? You know the history this town has with those godless bastards, if it is true what they are saying then we have to start thinking about protection” his mother said in a panicked voice. “Dearest, we have nothing to worry about. The town folk love to talk nonsense. Especially the paupers, they adore scaring everyone better off than them.”  
  
At that moment Frank’s curiosity got the best of him and he decided to enter the room and ask what his parents were talking about.  
  
However, as soon as he opened the door, both his mom and dad stopped talking and looked at him with a strange expression on their faces. “Well, mother, father, don’t let me interrupt your conversation. I am quite curious what it was about anyway. Seemed serious hm?” Frank said while walking to the nearest wooden chair. “Son,” his dad said, "your mother and I were discussing the, erm, rumors that are going around town.”  
  
“Rumors? What rum- oh.. do you mean those recent pirate-“ Frank’s father slammed his fist down hard on the table before Frank could even finish his sentence. “Do not ever mention those immoral savages in this house.” He yelled. “Damn you, Frank. I will not waste any more time speaking of them."  
  
With that his father got up and left the living room, leaving Frank and his mother in silence.  
  
Frank knew his town did not have a good history with pirates. All the children of the village got taught about the never-ending plundering, abductions, and other countless acts that the pirates used to demonize the town with.  
  
He did however not expect some silly gossip, that was probably made up by a bunch of no good drunkards, to have this much of an effect on his usually well-composed parents.  
  
“Hm, don’t take it personally my sweet, let’s just forget about this. Do you want some breakfast?” his mom asked awkwardly. Frank sighed and declined breakfast since he had lost all his appetite and decided to go and change for work instead.

  
~

  
Frank worked at a tiny bar in the heart of town. It was small and not well lit, but very popular all the same since they had the strongest booze in their area. He liked his job, it didn’t pay all too well but it was enjoyable. Folks of any status came to the bar, though the upper class and royalty did not visit as often as the simple, poor people did. The rich folk probably have fewer worries to drink away.

  
“Frank! Glad seein’ you here so early mate” yelled his boss (and good friend) in his raspy smoker's voice. “Gods as am I, William” Frank sighed.  
  
William frowned. “What’s wrong Frankie, them parents of yours getting on ya nerves? Ain’t it time for you to, ya know, move out? You are 20 now”  
  
“Lord, Will, I- you know I do not have the money for that,” Frank sighed. “And it’s just, those damned rumors of pirates being in town are making my folks act all paranoid.” William snorted.  
  
“Aha, the pirates... The elderly always worryin’ about ‘em.” William laughed again and patted Frank’s shoulder. “But you should not worry, Frankie-boy, this will all blow over soon when everyone realizes the pirates ain’t a threat no more. Now get to work!”

~

  
It was a busy night, Frank liked it though, having to focus on nothing but getting the right booze to the right people. He recognized most of the faces and even knew some of the customers by name, all and all his night was going fairly well.  
  
About three hours into Frank’s shift, the door swung open and a group of about five people walked in. This usually was nothing special, but this time it was different. A few people started whispering and pointing at the group, who were making their way through the crowded bar in search of a table. The usually so relaxed atmosphere in the bar had suddenly gone a lot tenser.

The reason for the sudden commotion was that this group was, quite obviously, a pirate crew. You could just sense it from their attitudes, the way they carried themselves, exactly like the way all the stories would describe them. And the fact that most of them were wearing tricorn hats did not make it any less obvious either.  
  
Frank stood behind the bar, speechless and honestly a bit frightened. Pirates? Having the nerve to show up in this town? This bar? He could not believe this was happening.  
  
“Lad” a man, who just had to be the captain of the crew, interrupted Frank’s panicked thoughts “Ye got some booze for me friends an’ I? Heard you lot had the strongest stuff in town.”  
  
Frank, mesmerized by all the expensive-looking rings on the strange man’s fingers, reacted a bit late and coughed awkwardly. “Of course sir, wh-, what would you and your... friends like to drink?” The captain, amused by Frank’s obvious nervousness, told him some bottles of rum would do just fine. He then left to join his “friends” at the table they picked.  
  
After Frank had served the table with two big bottles of rum, which he deemed more than enough, things had calmed down a bit.  
  
The pirates kept mostly to themselves and did not seem half as wild as people made them out to be. Frank was quite fascinated by them. Especially the captain, who had such an authoritative way about him that Frank almost felt like he was his boss too. Which was ridiculous of course, Frank was better than that, better than pirates who were cruel and had no morals.  
  
~  
  
After a few hours (and three more bottles of rum) the pirates got up and left. The captain had, to Franks surprise, paid and even left him a tip!  
  
Frank decided not to tell his parents about this. The pirates seemed calm and not harmful at all. So by telling them, he would only stress his mother and father out for no apparent reason.  
  
That night Frank dreamt of strange accents and wild seas.


	2. Chapter 2

The next evening the pirates showed up again. The bar was less crowded this time and most people seemed to be far too drunk to even care about their arrival. Frank, however, felt the same strange nervousness and fright he had felt the day before. He had a hard time focusing on the beer he was supposed to be pouring for some hopeless fellow.

After the pirates had settled down at the same table as yesterday, in the corner of the room, the intimidating captain walked up to the bar.

“Ha, minnow,” Frank frowned at that nickname “good to see we ain’t scared ye away!” the man laughed. Frank, not knowing what on earth compelled him to do so, answered “Was I supposed to be scared then?”

Instead of getting mad the man just grinned, it was, strangely enough, quite a pleasant sight even though the man did have unusually shaped teeth. “Nah, that’s just how yer town people usually react. Good to see not all of you land folk is a bunch of scaredy-cats”

Frank faked a smile and asked if the man would like to order some drinks. “Aye, just bring over some rum like last time. Oh an’ minnow..don't be so tight-fisted with the alcohol this time lad, we came here to get fuckin’ wasted.” With that, the man walked away. Frank stared at his back and when he lowered his gaze, he noticed that there were a bunch of weapons attached to the man’s belt. It reminded Frank that these pirates weren’t some ordinary customers, these were cold-hearted _criminals_.

~

When Frank found the bar’s vast collection of rum, he decided on getting five bottles to the table and telling them they should just order more if they wanted it.

“Not so fast, minnow,” the captain interrupted when Frank tried to leave as soon as he was done talking “It ain’t busy here and it seems like ye got nothin’ to do so why don’t ye join us for a glass?”

“Oh... I- ah, I do not know if that’s such a good idea, sir... I am doing, uh, perfectly fine behind the bar.” Frank lied, the man was right, Frank _had_ been incredibly bored because of the lack of things to do. “Nonsense lad! come on let’s get to know each other a bit” the captain all but yelled, he was also pushing on Frank’s shoulder, encouraging him to take a seat.

Frank gave in and sat down in the empty chair next to the captain, who squeezed his shoulder before letting go. Now Frank had joined their table he could finally take a good look at all six of them. They all had dark and long hair, even though they were men! Their clothes looked dirty but comfortable and seemed to be made of high-quality materials. Lots of them had jewelry in their faces and ears and some even had tattoos. Frank had never seen anything like it.

The captain was still the most captivating to Frank though; his pitch-black hair was shoulder length and shiny, he wore an obscene amount of gold and silver and though he looked tough and authoritative, there was no other word to describe his face than, well, pretty.

“Aye that’s it minnow! Come on and let me introduce ye to me hearties. Oh- an’ I think ye might’ve figured it out already but I’m the captain of this bunch.” The, now confirmed, captain said. Frank didn’t know what to reply so he simply nodded.

“That right there’s Edward, but most of us call him Ed or Eddie” The captain slurred while pointing at a heavily tattooed man who was now smirking at Frank in a not-so-friendly way. Frank decided he didn’t like Edward much.

The captain simply continued half-heartedly introducing everyone. Frank was not paying too much attention, too nervous to think straight, and only remembered the names Bert, Zachery, and John. “Now,” scoffed a man, John, who had noticed Frank’s nervous fidgeting. “Don’t worry yer pretty little face, shrimp, ain’t nobody gonna hurt ye... Stop actin’ like we is all pointin’ our guns at ye already.” The others broke out in a burst of drunken laughter and started singing a sailor song Frank wasn’t familiar with.

~

After about thirty minutes of lots of swearing and even more unrecognizable songs being sung, the bar was getting more crowded which meant that Frank could finally leave to serve the new customers.

While pouring what seemed like the millionth beer that night, Frank heard a crash and people yelling. He looked up from his work and quickly realized the commotion was coming from the pirate table.

Some homeless guy that spends a lot of time at the bar was currently screaming profanities in the captain’s face. “HEATHEN SCUM! YOU- YOU AND YOUR DIRTY FUCKING FRIENDS NEED TO LEAVE THIS TOWN. YOU ARE NOT WELCOME HERE! YOU-“ The captain was swaying a bit from the large amounts of alcohol in his system and started to laugh, as did his crew.

Frank thought they were going to leave as the captain looked like he was turning around, but instead, he swung his (heavily ringed) fist right in the homeless man’s face. All hell broke loose after that. More people got involved and Frank was trying his hardest to hold them back and talk to them but nobody was listening.

The pirates were ruthless and experienced fighters, though very drunk, they still managed to get a lot of damage done.

Before Frank could start panicking he got pushed aside by a very annoyed looking William. “EVERYBODY OUT! NOW! If you lot are going to be savages and... I don’t know- kill each other please do it outside my fucking bar, you bloody scumbags.” William screamed angrily. Frank had never seen him yell like that.

But to Frank’s surprise, people listened and started backing off. Frank’s gaze fell upon the captain, who had a bloody nose and messed up hair. He was breathing heavily and Frank noticed he was clutching his gun (the one that he carried on his belt). It sent shivers down his spine.

The bar started becoming emptier and emptier as William was still yelling at people to leave, and eventually, even the pirates gathered their stuff and left.

William gave Frank a stiff nod once the bar was empty and hurried to the kitchen, most likely to get some cleaning supplies. This was going to be a long, boring rest of the night, Frank thought as he looked at the state the bar was in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> minnow = a small fish


	3. Chapter 3

When Frank finally arrived home it was about six in the morning. He was planning on immediately curling up in bed and sleeping through the rest of the morning, but, unfortunately for him, his parents had other plans.

“Son, we have heard the news, are you okay? Did they hurt you?” Frank’s mom asked him as soon as he stumbled through the front door. “Mother, what? I am perfectly fine... What are you rambling about?” 

Frank’s mother scoffed and both she and his father looked at him skeptically. After a few seconds of staring his dad coughed and started talking. “Your mother and I... We- we heard about the pirates Frank, they have gone to your bar to beat people up, son. Bruised and bloody drunkards running around town screaming about how we should all beware of the return of the water rats!” 

Frank, tired as he was, couldn’t help but giggle at the nickname. “This is no joking matter, Frank.” His father growled. “You are extremely lucky those filthy sea wolves did not harm you. Your mother and I always knew you working there was a mistake. 

That stung. Frank was very aware that his parents disapproved of his job. They didn’t like the fact that William was his boss, they told Frank that William was the closest thing to a pirate you could find in their town. But he had worked at the bar ever since he turned 18 and he thought his folks would’ve changed their minds by now. 

“Good to know you have no faith in me nor my job. It was nothing, fights happen in the bar all the time! Honestly, you two should stop panicking,” Frank sighed. “It was _not_ nothing, Frank,” his mother yelled. “This was no ordinary fight, there were _pirates_. You are lucky a fight was the only thing that happened tonight. I do not like the idea of you being around all that. Pirates tend to take people from the town every once in a while, lure them in with their made-up stories about oceans and treasures.”

“Seriously mother, are you really afraid I would leave or get taken? All because of a small group of no-good pirates? Gods, I hope you realize how ridiculous you sound, I am not some weak maiden! So mother, father, I will be going to bed now because, unlike you two, I will not let the thought of some dumb sailors keep me up all night.” With that, Frank stormed to his room, very annoyed at his paranoid parents. 

Too tired to think about anything, he fell asleep minutes after curling up in his comfortable bed. 

~

Frank ignored his parents the following day, still angry about the night before, and eventually left for work, still not having said anything to either of his parents.

"What's gotten ya down today, Frankie? Cant've been the fight, you should be used to 'em by now." William asked after noticing that Frank had barely said anything in the hour and a half that he’d been at the bar. 

"Just the folks again, boss. Talking trash about you and the bar, all because of some idiot sailors." 

"Idiot sailors? Now that's not so kind of ye, is it now minnow?" An all too familiar voice interrupted. "Thought me hearties an' I was starting to grow on ye, guess not." 

Frank turned around to see the captain, who had a big smirk on his face, standing in the doorway. There was some bruising under his eye and his nose still looked swollen from last night. He was alone this time, which wasn't that surprising since it was only five in the afternoon, not a usual time for pirates, or most people really, to visit. He walked over to Frank and William and leaned against the bar. 

"Gerard! What's your ugly face doing here this early?" William asked before Frank could even think of a reply.

Frank frowned. Gerard? Was that the captain's name? And...more importantly, did William _know_ the captain?

Frank's train of thoughts got interrupted by the captain's, or rather Gerard's, strange laugh. "Just wanted to apologize for last night, mate. Was quite wasted and shouldn't have let that scurvy dog rile me up like that. Ye need me to pay for any broken shit?" Frank raised his eyebrows, completely dumbfounded by the kind act of the captain, this was definitely not how he had expected pirates would be. 

"Nonsense! The bar's fine. Good old Frankie took care of it." William said, patting Frank on the shoulder. The captain looked at Frank and nodded.

"Sorry about that minnow, never meant to make the job even harder for ye." All Frank could do was shake his head, still too shocked to form a coherent sentence.

"Quit apologizing, you seadog. How about you have a drink with us, me an' Frankie ain't got nothing better to do anyway. Right, Frankie?" Frank cleared his throat before uttering his agreement, not being able to think of a way to say no. 

~

"You never told me you knew him, or any pirate for that matter!" Frank hissed at William once the captain left for the toilet. "Never thought ye needed, or let alone wanted, to know if I'm bein' honest with ya." Frank scoffed. "Of course I want to know about the fact that my boss is acquainted with pirates! Goodness, Will, how- how do you even know him? Do you know the others too?"

"Gerard an' I, we go way back, I know the others too yeah, not as well though," William said. "Used to be one of his crew-'" 

"One of his crew? You were a _pirate_?" Frank interrupted. Of course, it shouldn't have come as that big of a surprise, since William did talk differently than most people in town and was about the only person with money who wasn't scared of the pirates. s were There were probably some sailor marks hidden underneath his long sleeves.

William laughed, "Yeah Frankie, wasn't for me though, always had stomach issues an' just became a burden for the crew. Gerard was nice enough to kick me out while supplying me with enough gold to make a life for meself on land.” He smiled fondly.

”He sounds like a good man,” Frank said. His boss scoffed, “Oh he can be, sure, but don’t be fooled, he is still a man of the seas. He is cold-hearted and cruel to most, it’s the way he survives.” William said, grimacing. 

Frank swallowed thickly, and just as he was about to ask for more information the captain had returned. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey!! thanks for reading :) im gonna try to write longer chapters so updates may take longer x

"Did I interrupt something?" Gerard asked, looking at the two men at the table. "No not at all mate. Frankie here was just a little curious about how I knew ye already." 

Frank kicked William under the table, feeling his cheeks getting red. He so did _not_ need the captain to know that he was asking about him, damned William. Gerard however, just grinned and sat down in the seat right across from Frank. Just his luck of course.

"I was just... I was _surprised_ , nobody in this town is familiar, let alone friendly, with pirates." Frank mumbled, avoiding eye contact with the captain at all costs. 

"Now don't ye worry yer pretty face a thing, minnow, 'm not offended, land folk always wanna know about us," Gerard said while pouring himself a large drink. "It's in ye blood to be annoyingly curious."

That did not make Frank feel any better, on the contrary, his cheeks only got redder. William noticed, of course he did, and started laughing. Frank glared at him, grabbing the bottle of booze and taking a few large gulps of it. Unfortunately, this only caused William to laugh harder and even the captain cracked a smile.

"Oh just fuck off already man. This is all new to me okay? Forgive me for having to get used to talking to one of the- the _bad guys_ from the tales I grew up on." Frank sneered, not liking how humiliated he felt. William's laughter finally died down at that, Gerard just sighed and took a sip of his drink. 

"Ye know, most of them stories is bollocks anyway right?" Gerard eventually said, breaking the silence. "Yer town just don't wanna lose more of their younglings to us, so they scare ye off right from the start."

Frank blinked. "Lose more of their younglings? What exactly do you mean?"

William and Gerard shared a look as if they were having a conversation without words before Gerard started, "Years ago, when we was kids an' you nothing but a seed in yer fathers sack-" Frank shifted awkwardly, "A lot more sailors stopped by this town. It was bigger an' richer so naturally, pirates liked to visit too, just to take a break from the sea an' earn some extra coins."

Frank knew what 'earning coins' meant when it came to pirates, stealing. 

"Young land folk got interested in the ocean, pirates, and the treasures that came along with it." Gerard continued, "Never the normal sailor jobs either, no... always the pirates," William added, chuckling.

"That's right, that's when the problems started though; more and more parents saw their children losing faith and joining pirate crews." Gerard sighed again, briefly looking at his hands, which were fidgeting with his now half-empty glass. Frank wondered if the captain had been one of those kids.

"Fights happened more often, usually provoked by the land folk." William nodded sadly.

"Now pirates ain't bad fighters but it got old fast, there was not much to gain anymore, so most just sorta... stopped comin' here." Gerard took a big sip of his drink.

"That didn't stop parents from worrying that their children would rebel and leave though. Their solution to this was telling horrific, often exaggerated stories and age-old tales about long-dead pirates pretending they had terrorized _this_ town." Frank could not believe what he was hearing.

"And, minnow, the way you've been actin' around me and me hearties tells me it worked," Gerard said, with a smirk that revealed a golden tooth Frank hadn't noticed before. 

"Don't be an ass, Gerard. I've been living in this town ever since I left your crew and I gotta admit, even my image of pirates got a little clouded. They're very persistent here." William said, breaking Frank out of his golden tooth induced trance. 

Gerard looked at William, then at Frank, "Aye. Yer right, yer right."

A silence fell over the table, the three men awkwardly sipped at their drinks until William finally got up to prepare the bar for the evening. 

Frank cleared his throat before saying, "Sir, thank you, for you know- telling me, if I'm being honest I don't really know how to react. It's hard to believe and accept the fact that I've been lied to all these years." Gerard nodded.

"No worries minnow. You’ll get through it.” Frank smiled shyly, “Let’s hope I do...”

“You will.” The captain replied. “However, as much as I enjoyed this chat, I really gotta get going now. I've been holding ye from yer job for too long an' there's some stuff I gotta do myself.” he added, standing up and chugging the last of his drink. “I'll see ye around."

Before Frank could answer, the man had already turned around and made his way to the door.

Frank stared at his back until he couldn't see him anymore. 

~

The next few days were strange.

Frank still didn't feel like talking to his parents, especially now that he knew they were lying to him, so things at home were unpleasant.

That’s why he started avoiding it more, leaving for work early in the morning and staying as late as possible.

The pirates didn't show their faces much, Frank had not spoken to the captain since _that_ day.

He was pretty disappointed about that since he had grown quite interested in him. And the other pirates too, of course. 

"Look Frank, you know I always got your back but what's been going on lately?” William asked when Frank arrived five hours early for the fourth time that week.

“Yer here more often than me it seems... Are your folks really that bad?"

Frank sighed and plopped down on the nearest barstool. "Gods, it's been so fucking _awful_ Will," he whined. 

"I haven't talked to my parents in days, I just-" he huffed, "I don't know what to say to them. I'm so fucking angry, I’m scared things will go wrong if I say more than, like, three words to them." 

William looked at Frank with pity, "I'm sorry Frankie, but... it might be good to talk to them." Frank rested his head on the bar and let out a groan.

"C'mon, ye can't keep this up, ye still live there Frank. You'll probably feel better if ye confront them about it, just saying- Hell they might even be understanding!”

Frank lifted his head a little to look at William and sighed. "You're right. I know that, I do. I just- really, really, don't want to.” 

William laughed and squeezed Frank's shoulder before telling him to make himself useful if he was going to spend all day at the bar again.

~

William could not have been more wrong. 

Frank had decided to leave work early that night. He was finally, despite all his reluctance, going to confront his parents.

They were pleasantly surprised to see him back so early, they had hardly seen their son the past week after all. This didn't last long though, as soon as Frank started talking it all went downhill.

Eventually, the word 'pirates' had been dropped and his parents had tried to remind him of all the awful things the pirates supposedly did to the town. This only pissed Frank off more because he _knew_ it was all a lie.

"Lies!" He had screamed, "You've been fucking lying to me all my damn life!" 

"Look at you... swearing like a sailor. You have been roped in by one of them, haven't you? You have become a dirty traitor." His father had growled.

Frank had denied it, telling his father he had no right to accuse him of that. To accuse Frank of being a bad man when _he_ was the one who had been lying to his own son all his life. This earned him a slap across the face.

"Don't you _ever_ disrespect your father like that." His mother had said, tears in her eyes and hand still floating mid-air.

Frank had stood there for a while, too shocked to say anything, rubbing his slowly reddening cheek. Eventually, he had turned around, still not having said a thing, to go to his room.

~

Frank slammed his bedroom door shut, grabbed the biggest bag he owned and started jamming as many clothes as he could fit in it. He had to leave this fucking place, immediately.

And after only a few minutes he’d managed to fit almost all his belongings in the bag. 

He waited in front of his bedroom door until he heard his parents go to bed. When they finally did he quietly sneaked out.

Frank stood in the rain and felt tears welling up in his eyes. The realization that he was officially homeless now starting to sink in.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey!!! I wrote this chapter with Razzmatazz by IDKHOW on repeat. “From the gallows” has the perfect vibe for this fic (lyrically And sonically)!!  
> Sorry this was late btw! I am VERY busy atm but I tried my best haha
> 
> (P.S. I hope you guys are gonna have a good Halloween despite the world being shit rn)

"Fr- Frank? What on earth are ya doing here at this time of night?" William exclaimed when his drenched employee stumbled through the door of the bar. He didn't get an answer, which worried him. 

"Frankie? You okay?" William tried again, walking towards Frank, who was still shakily standing in the doorway.

After a few seconds of silence, Frank broke down. "No, Will, I- everything has gone to shit. I- FUCK ." He slammed his fist against the wall before dropping to his knees, softly crying in his hands.

William had never seen him act like this. He was aware of Frank's situation at home, but he hadn't known it had become that bad. Usually, Frank's fights with his parents lasted only a few days max and they would never upset him to the point of crying. 

"Come on, let's get you somewhere to sit," William said, approaching Fank and helping him get up. He walked him over to the closest table and grabbed a chair. Frank sniffled and let out a soft "thank you." 

"It's no problem, mate. Ya want something to drink?" 

"Yes, please," Frank groaned, "Something strong." William nodded and grabbed one of the bottles he usually kept for Gerard. He poured a glass for both Frank and himself. Frank immediately reached for his glass once he had placed it on the table.

"Are ye ready to tell me what happened yet?" William asked after Frank had chugged his drink in one go. Frank had never been a big drinker, he was a lightweight, so this was unusual behavior for him. 

"Ha! 'm fuckin' homeless now. Thas all." Frank eventually slurred. “Couldn't spend any more time with those- those- fuckin' scumbags." 

"Homeless? Frank, how did that even happen?! Did they kick ye out?" William exclaimed.

Frank let out a humorless chuckle. "Bitch fuckin' slapped me." He rubbed his still slightly red cheek. "An’ look- look- I knew my father wassa bad person an' all, but she-" Tears started prickling in Franks's eyes again. "Thas my mom. My own bloody mother she fucking slapped me in defense of my idiot father she doesn't love me she-" he rambled. 

"Shh... Frankie, breathe." William said, desperate to calm his drunk and upset friend down. "Now start from the beginning," he said once Frank started breathing less erratically. "What caused this fight?" 

"So I- I left work early as you probably noticed an' I wanted to you know... make things right with them. And well, they didn't like that. I jus- You know I mentioned Gerard and- and how I knew they were talking a bunch of bullshit.” Frank took a shaky breath.

William listened as Frank somewhat coherently told about the fight. He couldn’t help but feel guilty, after all, he had been the one who told Frank to confront his parents. 

“So yeah now I don’t have a house and my parents ‘n me hate each other.” Frank started giggling hysterically and just as William was about to ask what was so funny, the giggles turned into sobs.

”I dunno... I dunno what to do” Frank said in between sobs. “Will, I can't afford shit. I dunno-“

”Stay with me for a while.” William said, having to do something as his friend was falling apart right in front of his eyes. 

“I- What?” Frank stopped crying. 

“Ye can stay with me for a while. Ye gotta help with shit though, can’t afford it otherwise.” 

Frank shook his head, “No, Will, you don’t have to... I’ll find an inn- or something...”

”Nonsense! We both know those places are too expensive. Ye ain’t got yer parents’ money and I don’t pay ye well enough. Yer staying with me until ye can afford something better.” William said, determined to help Frank.

“I don’t know what to say,” Frank sniffed, still slurring his words a little. “Thank you so much, Will, I'll help you with whatever you need.”

”That’s settled then. C’mon, I’ll take ye to our place.

~

Frank, still drunk, stumbled through the door, following his friend. Though Frank had known William for a couple of years, he had never stepped foot into his house before.

William's house wasn't very big but it was cozy all the same. The house consisted of a living room, a bedroom, and a scrawny kitchen. Frank would sleep on the sofa in the living room since William did not feel like sharing his bed with the lad.

"So sorry for the mess, wasn't really expecting gettin' a new roomie today." William apologized.

"No... no 's nice" Frank said, shaking his head. 

"Let me grab some blankets, ye can change in something that isn't soaking wet," William said, eyeing Franks somehow still dripping clothes. He left the room when Frank nodded.

Frank grabbed his bag and found his pajamas that were, luckily, still dry. William wasn't back when Frank was done changing so he decided to look around the room a bit.

Though the place was a bit messy, it didn't seem unkept, there was no dust to be found and the big table that stood in the middle of the room was polished and shiny. Most of the furniture was made of dark expensive-looking wood. That and the lack of good lightning created a dark space. Frank liked it, he had always found comfort in the night and the darkness that came with it. 

Just as he was about to return to the sofa he saw a door that his fuzzy brain hadn't noticed before. The door blended in with the wall so well, it was almost invisible. Frank's curiosity was officially peaked and he walked up to the door, desperate to know what was behind it. Maybe it was another bedroom? That would be splendid because in that case, Frank wouldn't have to sleep on the sofa! Motivated by that thought, he grabbed the door handle and-

"Get away from there. Right now." William, who had just returned from his bedroom with a bunch of blankets, growled. Frank gasped and quickly dropped his hand before turning around to face William.

"I- sorry-" Frank stuttered.

"Never said ye could go ahead an' sneak around," William sighed, "There's nothing for ye to find in that room. I only got one rule: never go in there. Got it, Frankie?."

"Yeah, alright I got it... I'm so sorry- I was just curious, I won't do it again. I'm so sorry" Frank apologized, not wanting to upset William.

"Now, now, don't be so dramatic. It's fine, Frankie, I forgive you. Just- ya know what they say right?"

"What?" 

"Curiosity killed the cat."

Frank swallowed thickly.

~

"Ughhhh..." Frank groaned when he woke up with a headache that made his head feel like it was about to explode. He opened one eye when he heard someone chuckle.

"Good mornin' sunshine," William singsonged, looking at him from his seat at the table. 

Frank threw one of the pillows in William's direction, burying his face in another. "Fucker..."

"Who are you calling fucker? The guy that gave you a place to stay?" 

Then it all came back to Frank. Sneaking out, getting drunk, freaking out because he was homeless now, William offering him a place to stay, William getting mad at him for something...

Frank let out another groan and sat up. "Hey Will, just thank you. For last night, helping me even though I was a drunken mess. And- sorry if I did any stupid shit, it's all kind of fuzzy still..." 

"Shut yer mouth, Frankie! It was a rough night, ye have nothing to apologize for," William sighed. "You do however need to get up 'cus we're leaving in ten minutes."

Frank let out a final sigh and got, with quite some effort, up from the sofa. He didn't want to be even more of a burden for William.

~

The first few days had been pretty normal; Frank worked at the bar every day and helped William with a bunch of simple chores at home. 

But one afternoon, when Frank returned home a little early due to the bar being empty all night, he walked in on something he wasn't supposed to see.

"Will! I'm earl-"

Frank's eyes widened. 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am SO sorry that this is so late, life has been extremely busy for me. thank you all for reading and for the patience. enjoy!

Frank's eyes widened.

There, in the living room, sat an unconscious man tied to a chair. Around him stood William, the captain, and two pirates Frank had never seen before. They were all holding aggressive-looking weapons except for William, who was holding some thick rope. 

They had turned their heads in Frank's direction when he had announced his arrival. 

"Minnow! It's been so long!" The captain smirked, acting like Frank hadn't caught them doing some seriously shady business.

"I- What is... Who is- Will-" Frank turned to William, helplessly looking for some sort of explanation. "What is going on? I-"

"Ye really wasn't supposed to see all this, Frankie. Just- just take a breath alright? I'll explain." 

"Well yeah, I sure hope you will explain the fact that there's an.. an _unconscious_ man tied up in our house." Frank scoffed, feeling delirious. 

"Ooooh! So yer the little shrimp taking up space on old Willy's couch huh," one of the unknown pirates exclaimed. "Bet ya didn't expect we was here doing our thing... shouldn't've come early mate, land folk can't be in our business without getting involved or, ye know," he pointed at the unconscious man in the chair with the knife he was holding, "kill-" 

"That's enough, George," William interrupted, annoyed. "Come on take a seat on the couch, Frankie. I'll get ye something to drink and tell ye everything alright?"

Without saying anything else he turned to the kitchen, the captain followed him.

Frank felt like he had no choice but to take a seat on the couch, as far away from the unconscious man (who might even be dead?!) as possible. The remaining two pirates were ogling him amusedly. 

~ 

" _Told ye_ it was gonna bloody happen, William, I fuckin' told ye! Right away!" Gerard whisper-shouted. He was pacing in the small kitchen, almost not believing that his idiot friend had let his stupid little toyboy meddle in their business already! 

"He's not my fuckin' toyboy, Gerard." 

Oops, apparently he had said that out loud. 

"Oh come on! What else is the lad good for, he's got no muscle and no backbone whatsoever. We've been mates for the longest time you don't gotta be ashamed about getting yer dick we-"

"He was _homeless_! Gerard, _homeless_... I couldn't've left him there on the street and I don't intend on having any type of intercourse with the boy." Wiliam sneered, clearly not liking the way Gerard was talking about Frank. 

Gerard shrugged and took a sip of the booze Willliam always set aside just for him. 

"Well, that's a good thing I guess, since ye won't miss the fellow much when Tucker slits his throat." 

He really didn't expect the blow to his nose that came next. 

"Damn Will, ye sure he don't spread his legs for ye once in a while?" Gerard chuckled, clutching his heavily bleeding nose. That only caused William to throw another punch, in the stomach this time. He sneered at Gerard, telling him Frank was like his little brother and that he wasn't gonna stand for the unnecessary shit-talking. Gerard sighed, still clutching his nose. 

"Yer more naive than I remember, Willy. He's land folk, no sailor marks, nothing... Ye know we can't stand for land kids meddling in our business." 

"He's not fucking meddling! He's hardly aware of what's going on!'" 

"See this is what I mean," Gerard groaned, feeling himself getting irritated again. "We've killed- hell, _you've_ killed, fellows and even ladies for far less. The lad saw the body, ye don't want him chatting about all this to his customers or those _irritating_ parents of his." 

William was getting angrier and angrier, how was Gerard not getting this? Frank was like family for god's sake. If Gerard knew anything it was family. William voiced his opinions, earning an exasperated eye-roll from Gerard who just apparently couldn't imagine Frank being valuable to anyone ever. 

"I like the minnow I do, he's got a pretty little head on his body and all that, but he ain't pretty enough to be spared, Will." William started protesting, with no luck though. "Ye know what, maybe we will keep his head, just to have something nice to look at," Gerard smirked, dodging William's punch this time. 

William had never been _so_ angry at Gerard, he grabbed two beers (one for Frank and one for himself), and stormed out of the kitchen, feeling uneasy about the fact that Frank was still in there alone with Tucker and George, two pirates who were not really known for good behavior. 

Gerard took a sip of his drink, wiped his bloody nose, and followed. 

~

"Ye sure ye don't wanna touch, shrimp? He's still nice and warm." The pirate who had introduced himself as George giggled, waving with the arm of the (what was now very clear) dead man in the chair. "Tucker did a great job strangling the guy! Went out in seconds, didn't even need any of our fancy weapons!" The other pirate, Tucker, nodded smugly.

Frank violently shook his head no, definitely not willing to touch a corpse.

"Oh come on... let loose a little, guppy! It's not like he can hurt ye!" Tucker and George both burst into laughter at that.

Frank was questioning all his life choices at that moment, he could've prevented all of this. He could've just stayed in the bar until the end of his shift. He could've found an inn to stay in. He could-

"Here ya go, Frankie," William said gently, placing a beer in front of Frank and successfully stopping him from spiraling. He nodded and mumbled a soft "thank you." 

Frank looked up, seeing William staring at him with an unreadable expression on his face, behind him stood the captain, leaning against the wall wiping a very bloody nose. That explained the noise coming from the kitchen.

"I-" He cleared his throat, looking William in the eye. "Are you gonna tell me what's going on now?"

William looked over his shoulder, seeing the captain smirk and shrug for a reason Frank didn't quite understand. He sighed before making eye contact with his young friend again. 

It had started as the usual thing, making weapons for Gerard and the boys when they were in town. But it started developing, William got more involved, keeping chests of gold and treasures safe in the 'forbidden for Frank' room. And today was a day where _things_ needed to be taken care of... the safest place to do that was William's house since he had no close neighbors. His original plan was never to let it get this far and especially not getting Frank involved. 

"And _that's_ the exciting part," the captain exclaimed when William apologized to Frank. "What's gonna happen to precious...little...Frankie?" the intimidating man asked lowly, making his way towards the couch. 

He suddenly moved quickly and took a seat next to Frank that was way too close for comfort. 

"Hmm.." the man inhaled, eyeing Frank. "Ye are awfully pretty arent ye? Such a shame..." he tutted. To Frank's absolute horror he pulled out a very sharp looking knife. 

The captain noticed Frank's fear and laughed, pressing the knife softly against his throat.

"Oh minnow, how wonderfully... _ironic_ would it be, for ye to get killed by _this_ knife. Made by yer good pal right there, wouldn't it be nice for him to see how smoothly it cuts through skin? That would be quite the show wouldn't it?" 

George and Tucker were clearly amused, laughing hard as if Frank being killed by his friend's knife was the funniest thing they had ever heard.

Frank whimpered and looked at William, silently begging for him to do something. 

"Gerard- ye cant... Please- I've always been loyal to ya, there's gotta be another way!" William pleaded when Gerard pressed the knife a little harder against Frank's neck while whispering something, by the looks of Frank's face, disturbing in his ear. 

Gerard started laughing hysterically and rested his forehead on Frank's shoulder, still holding the knife close to the boy's neck. 

After he calmed down a bit, he mumbled thoughtfully; "Loyal... aye... That's true I guess, Willy."  
  
The captain got up from the couch in a quick, smooth motion. 

Frank exhaled a sigh of relief once the knife wasn't pressed against his throat anymore.

"Ye have been loyal an' we was close an' all..." The captain continued, waving the knife in his hand towards William now. "Don't wanna ruin that now do I?" He faked a pout. 

"Gerard, it's not a big deal, Frankie 's not gonna tell anyone." 

"I don't give a damn what minnow is gonna do or not, this is pirate code yer breaking. I ain't doing that. Dead men tell no tales remember?"

Someone cleared their throat, it was Tucker.

"Erm- we don't gotta blow the shrimp down, he can- ya know the rule is to kill 'em or make 'em useful.. so can't he just become one of us instead?" he said rather timidly for someone who had strangled a man with his bare hands mere hours ago. 

"Ridiculous!" 

"He won't survive-"  
  
"I'm okay with it,” said Frank in a soft voice, interrupting all the protests. 

~

"Seriously Frank you don't know what you're getting yourself into!" William shouted.

Tucker and George had left (after promising they wouldn't tell a soul about the incident) to take care of the body. The captain hadn't said a thing after they had left. 

"Well, I do not really have a choice, do I?" Frank yelled back at his friend. "I have to join them or die, you know it's what needs to happen, Will." Tears started welling up in both men's eyes

"Will ye quit the sissy shit already?" the captain groaned, breaking his silence. "Willy, trust me, I ain't want yer plaything on my ship either but ye won't let me kill 'm, and since yer such a loyal friend I won't. Rules are rules mate."

William hid his face in his hands and let out a long, frustrated groan before slamming his fist on the table, hard.

"Fucking shit- Alright, fuck- alright, I guess it fucking has to be done. I'll bring out the needle and ink for his markings in a minute then..."

The captain grinned, showing off his golden tooth, and grabbed Frank's shoulder.

"Hmm, alrighty... Welcome to my crew, Minnow."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> blow the man down: to kill


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god, this is SO late, I am aware & so very sorry. I had exams and quite a writer's block. OK, no more excuses, I'm back now and I had so much fun writing this one! Thank you for reading and supporting me :) I hope you enjoy x

"Just do it already! I'll be fine" 

"It's gonna hurt more than ya think, boy. Yer not used to the feeling, excuse me for being careful."

Frank rolled his eyes and looked over his shoulder. "C'mon it's not like I'll die from the pain or anything, just- fucking start already."

Frank heard the captain in the back say something about the 'shrimp' being a feisty one.

William grumbled and pushed Frank's head back down, finally starting. "Now I haven't done this in a while so don't come bitching if ye don't like the scorpion." 

The sudden sharp pricking in his neck withheld him from giving some witty response, maybe Will was right about the pain after all...

"Told ye it would hurt, Frankie." the man said as if he had read Frank's mind. 

He let out a whine but told Wïlliam to continue.

After god knows how long the marking was finally done. Frank was handed a little mirror so he could admire William's work. He had chosen for a scorpion on the neck.  
A scorpion because his mother always told him that the stars on his day of birth had decided the animal he related to at heart was a scorpion, or however that childhood story went. And he had chosen his neck because the marking had to be visible, people should know he is a pirate just by giving him one glance. 

"Wow... this is- Will- I fucking love it!" Frank exclaimed, he loved how the scorpion made him look tough.

"No problem Frankie. Yer first one gotta be at least decent." 

~

Frank had expected some people to notice his marking, but he could've _never_ predicted the uproar it caused.

William had said that it would blow over in a few days. It had been a week.

People cursed at Frank or looked at him weirdly, he also had to dodge a rock that had been thrown at his head once. The worst part was that he _knew_ these people, he had grown up with them for god's sake.

"Why me? The others have been in town for weeks, why am I the one being targeted like this?" he asked William after a particularly bad day.

"'S cus yer a traitor" 

"Wow, thanks for sugarcoating it," Frank grumbled, slightly hurt by that comment. 

"No- no Frankie, listen-" William sat down on the chair next to Frank. "You have always been like... how should I say it? Well. You have always been very _neat-"_

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?!" 

"I said listen, Frank. Ye can't deny that you and ya folks have always been very... neat people. Yer the good old Frankie that would not even hurt a dung fly. Also, yer parents have always been very open about their hatred for pirates." Frank preferred to not think about his parents right now.

"Honestly Frankie," his friend continued, "It's really not that surprising if you ask me. Ye know I love ya but this was bound to happen." 

He squeezed Frank's shoulder, the latter looked up and sighed.

"What the hell have I gotten myself into, Will?" 

William just huffed out a laugh at that.

~

"You're procrastinating, Gerard." William sighed once they had finished Gerard's millionth unnecessary task this week. "Arent ye eager to go back to the ocean again? Ye got a bunch more weapons and gold, what's stopping ye from takin' off?" 

Gerard huffed, "I'm not too fond of the _newling_ I'm stuck with. I've heard he's been timid on the streets, he's gonna be a useless scallywag at sea, ye know I hate weak spots on me ship."

"Frankie is the reason for all of this? Come _on_ Gerard, he can learn. Yer being incredibly childish." William ranted, he also brought up the fact that Gerard's crew had been becoming antsy, none of the pirates liked being on land all that long and it was obvious to everyone that it was time to leave.

Gerard, of course, rolled his eyes at that. "Last time I had a landlubber on me ship I threw ya out remember? An' I don't know that Frankie of yours half as well as I knew ye at the time. 'M not feelin' very _merciful_ when it comes to him fucking up-" 

William got increasingly more annoyed with every word that came out of Gerard's mouth. "Can’t ye just train him? Blimey Gerard yer bein' absolutely insufferable right now! And-"

Gerard suddenly stopped frowning and got a big smirk on his face before interrupting William. "Oh, matey, but I am training him! Just today I heard those complaints about being on land too long, so I sent good ol' Tucker out to teach precious little Frankie some stuff about the sea life.” He grinned evilly

”'m not throwing him on board unprepared- that would be _cruel_ of me after all. Once he knows his stuff we'll get outta ye hair. Ain’t that such a great thing of me to do?" 

William felt his blood boil, Tucker was a dangerous asshole and Gerard _knew_ that. William wanted to punch the smug look off his face so badly right now, sending Tucker to Frank without anyone that could make sure Frank was safe was not a funny move.

He cursed at Gerard before walking to the door of the random bar he was in, not wanting to look at Gerard for a second longer.

~ 

Frank was wiping the bar clean when someone suddenly stormed in. Frank looked up and to his absolute horror he recognized the man, it was one of the pirates from _that_ night... with a strange name, Tucker? Yes, that was it, he was the one who strangled the guy with his bare hands. Just great. Perfect.

"Minnow! Me pupil for the day!" Tucker exclaimed, having a broad smile on his face.

"Your... your what?" Frank stuttered, really hoping he had heard that wrong.

"Me pupil of course! Ain't cap'n told ya? I'm supposed to teach ya some of the basics so ye don't scuttle the first day." Tucker smiled at Frank.

"I'm sorry... scuttle?" Frank felt light-headed. The captain- _his captain_ had sent the fucking killer to teach him stuff about his future life. Frank was once again rethinking every decision he had ever made in his life. 

"Now don't go all pale, guppy! I ain't hurting ya," Tucker let out a loud laugh. "Just supposed to teach ye some things so we can leave this place already... oh an' 'scuttle' means sinking a ship o' course."

He suddenly pointed a finger in the air before grabbing something out of his satin bag, it was a huge rag with a detailed drawing of a ship on it. "See, if ye wanna live on a ship, ye gotta know the inside an' outsides o' course!"

He placed the rag on the bar and started rambling. Frank had a hard time understanding the man, his accent was thick and he was talking quite fast.

"So," Tucker pointed at the drawing again, "this right 'ere is the poop deck," he giggled, "perfect for lookin' out an' stuff. An' if ye look a little lower, right there, that's the great cabin. 'S where our cap'n sleeps and does his thing. Can't go in there without permission, shrimp. Savvy?" 

_Savvy_... Frank had heard that one before, it meant something along the lines of 'do you understand?' so he quickly nodded his head. Tucker seemed satisfied with the answer and kept going.

"This right 'ere, 's where me, you and all the others sleep, we got it good gup, cap'n gave us hammocks an' everything!"

Tuckers eyes seemed to sparkle when he talked about the ship, maybe this pirate life wasn't going to be as bad as Frank had thought after all.

"You miss it, don't you?" He dared to ask. Tucker smiled. "O' course I do! Every step on land is one too many. It ain't gonna be too long no more though, cap'n has got all the stuff he needed an' the fact that I'm 'ere right now means we're sailing on soon enough."

Frank felt himself getting dizzy again, this was really happening. 

Tucker seemed to notice Frank's nerves and cleared his throat. "Anyway. We're almost done with the plan of the ship, I'll teach ye some basic knots next."

Frank nodded again and tried to keep up with Tucker's rapid pace. Anchor, quarter deck, main deck, ratlines, forecastle, signal flags...

Once Tucker was finished talking he started rolling up the rag. "Ye can have it. Yer gonna need to do some studying." 

Frank accepted the rolled-up rag and placed it next to him awkwardly. "Thanks. I will"

"Aye, good fella." Tucker once again reached into his bag and drew out two pieces of rope and handed one of them to Frank. "Onto knots!"

"Alright, we're gonna start with a simple one. This is the cleat hitch." Tucker reached into his bag _again_ and retrieved two, what Frank now knew as cleats, this time, once again handing one of them to Frank.

"Alright. so ye just take a turn 'round this arm," he turned his rope around the cleat he was holding as he continued explaining the knot to Frank, Frank tried to mimic the action.

"Aye, just like that. Okay and then ye wrap it right under the cleat, now on the other arm, so like- the opposite way. After doin' that ye gotta wrap it back over the top, now just wrap it under the first arm again."

Frank followed the instructions clumsily, creating an eight like shape around the cleat. Tucker eyed him.

"That will do, alright, final steps. ye gotta," Tucker held his cleat a little higher, "ye gotta wrap it back over the top 'gain, then ye just run a line under the turn ye made last and pull tight,"

Tucker's experienced hands made quick work out of the knot, Frank tried to do the same but just ended up dropping the cleat he was holding instead. Tucker started laughing and so did he.

"I'm sorry... I am hopeless arent I?" Frank sighed, looking at Tucker with, surprisingly, no fear, just embarrassment. 

Tucker stopped laughing and shoved Frank. "No, ye ain't! We'll just keep on practicing." 

After what felt like hours Frank had managed to do a somewhat decent cleat hitch and two other knots: the reef and scaffold knots. 

"That's it, guppy! Much better." Tucker cheered. Frank smiled back at him, proud of his achievement.

~

"Frank! You're okay!" William rushed once Frank stumbled inside their home after having left Tucker and the bar. 

"Yeah? Why wouldn't I be?" Frank asked, confused at his friend's concerned face.

"Why wouldn't you be- Frank- Gerard told me he sent tucker to ye! Thank fuck he was lying-"

Ooh... yeah turns out, Frank had started to like Tucker so much, he'd forgotten that he was supposed to be a very dangerous man.

"He wasn't lying, Will. But I'm fine. Tucker was extremely nice. Taught me all kinds of stuff, he said we'll probably leave in a day or two."

William sputtered. "A day or two- you've gotta be kidding? What does he know?"

"Well, okay- he doesn't know for sure of course, but he said the captain can't hold everyone on land much longer, and now I know the basics there's no reason to stay!"

Frank plopped on the couch, exhausted from all the new information he had learned today.

William sighed, Frank had truly accepted his fate and even looked excited to be leaving. "Alright, Frankie. Ye know I'm gonna miss ye when yer gone though, right?" He sat down next to Frank.

"And I'll miss you, you idiot! You basically saved my life twice. I'll write though, Tucker said we could. With pigeons."

William grinned and ruffled Frank's hair. "Thank you, Frankie."

~ 

Tucker had been right, the following day the captain came by to tell Frank to "pack his things in _one_ bag, and one bag _only,_ and meet him and the rest at the docks the next morning." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> scallywag = an inexperienced pirate  
> landlubber = a person who is uncomfortable, or not incredibly skilled, at sea  
> cleat = a device for securing a rope.


	8. Chapter 8

Packing did not take long since Frank barely had any belongings. He now had about a day left until he was expected at the docks. His last day on land.

He scratched at his still healing sailor mark, thinking of a plan for his final day as a non-pirate. 

"I told ye not to do that." A voice behind Frank grumbled. "It will heal all ugly, besides, the itching will only get worse if ye keep scratching." 

Frank groaned and turned around, dropping the hand that was scratching his neck moments before. "I know, I know..." 

William grinned. "Any plans for ye final day, Frankie?"

"Yeah, about that. I was just trying to think of something y'know... I never really expected to leave so- I don't really know what to do. I'm probably going to say goodbye to the few people that still wanna talk to me and-"

"What about your parents?" William interrupted. Shit. Frank hadn't even thought about them, and to be completely honest, he had no clue if he was ready to see them again.

William noticed Frank's internal struggle, Frank's expression was one he hadn't seen for a while, it was a look on his face that he usually got after fighting with his parents or just having a bad experience with them in general. 

"I'm not pressuring ya, boy. I know they ain't treat ya well, just- make sure ye make it a good day alright, Frankie?" 

"Of course! Thank you for being so understanding, Will. It means a lot." 

As William started to respond, someone knocked on the front door. 

"I'll get that." William walked to the door and opened it, revealing a, grinning as usual, Tucker. 

"Frankie, final day on land me boy!" He yelled, stepping inside before William could even invite him in. 

Frank, thinking about his parents still, was a bit confused by his new friend's presence. Tucker seemed to notice his confusion and laughed. "I'll be outta ye hair soon enough, just gotta drop off some clothes and tell ye to study the ship plan an' all that fun stuff." 

"I don't need clothing, I have my own," Frank said, still a little dumbfounded.

"Don't be foolish now, shrimp! Ye ain't stepping foot on The Lost Rose in those long clothes." 

"Lost Rose? Long clothes?" Frank sputtered.

"Aye, sorry forgot ye ain't know the ship name yet. Her name's The Lost Rose. An' long clothes are land folk clothes, all the... _excessiveness_ will hinder ye work. We ain't wear those fancy baggy pants an' rubbish with loose pieces at sea, it'll all just be in the way."

Frank never thought his simple clothes would ever get called excessive. He supposed it made sense though, he would probably not be able to move around the ship- _The Lost Rose_ \- very easily in his current clothes. 

Tucker handed the bag he was holding to William and pulled out some clothes for Frank. "I have a few items for ya, if ye want more ye gotta buy or make 'em yerself though. We ain't here to spoil ya." 

Frank accepted the pile of clothes. "Thanks, Tucker. I'll make sure to go over the ship's plan again today as well." 

"Ho! Ye are a good fellow, gup. I'm afraid I gotta leave the two of ye though, still got lots to do..." Tucker said cheerily, very obviously excited about going back to the ocean.

The three men said their goodbyes (for now) and soon enough Tucker had gone again. 

~

"I look ridiculous." 

"No! It's not that bad, Frankie. You'd look more out of place on a ship in yer normal attire." 

Frank sighed. He was trying on the pirate clothes Tucker had brought him and so far he did _not_ enjoy them. Sure, they were comfortable, but he had never looked more idiotic than he did now. The greyish color of the fabric was horrible and the tightness of the clothes just made him look even smaller.

William was currently trying to convince him to not burn the clothes. 

"Listen, this is just temporary, you'll get better stuff soon enough, boy. Being a pirate pays well, you've seen the expensive stuff Gerard and some of his crew wear right? Yer outfits may not be the most flattering but at least you'll be able to work efficiently."

Frank knew William was right, he also knew clothes were probably going to be the least of his worries soon enough. He still rolled his eyes though.

"Fine. What should I do with my old clothes?" He held up his packed bag, "Throw 'em away?" 

"O' course not! Yer taking 'em with ya, for memories an' all that." William exclaimed, secretly not wanting his friend to give his 'normal' life up just yet.

Frank thought about it for a second and then nodded, shoving the pirate clothes he wasn't wearing in the bag as well. 

"Let's go to the bar, say goodbye to some of ye regulars," said William after a few moments of silence. Frank nodded again, feeling weird about the fact that it was going to be his last visit to the bar. 

~

Frank and William had been at the bar for a few hours now, and as usual in this town, most people had already heard about the pirates'- and Frank's- leaving. One of his regulars, the one that had started a fight with the captain a while ago, had spit in Frank's face when he entered the bar, William had now banned him from ever stepping foot inside the place again. 

Others were kinder to Frank, some seemed a bit weary, not entirely comfortable talking to a pirate, but most treated him like they had always done. 

While Frank was having a conversation with a vagrant (who happened to be _very_ interested in pirate treasures), William, who was looking at his friend from a small distance, heard a voice behind him. 

"He looks ridiculous." 

"Shut the fuck up, asshole." William turned around, facing Gerard. "Yer aware he's one of ye crew now right? Stop bein' a picaroon. It's not his fault ye sent Tucker to bring Frank the ugliest rags on the planet."

"Tucker? I ain't sent him nowhere. Was he at yer house?" Gerard looked genuinely confused.

"Err... yeah? He gave Frank a bunch of clothes suitable for life at sea an' reminded him of the ol' Rose's layout."

"Hmm... interesting," Gerard mumbled, more to himself. "Guess Tucker can't help himself 'round a pretty face, huh?" 

William rolled his eyes. He pitied Frank since he was going to have to obey the most irritating captain to have ever existed.

"What are ye even doing here in the first place, _mate?_ " He asked, not comfortable with the direction the conversation was heading. 

Gerard grinned, "Just wanted to ask ye to bring as much of yer liquor to the spot tomorrow." 

William raised his eyebrows and asked how he knew that he was going to the spot with Frank tomorrow. That earned him a loud laugh. "Matey! Yer so attached to the minnow it'd be weirder if ye didn't take him, besides, he ain't ask anyone for the exact location of the spot so I figured ye was gonna take him. So, ye better bring some booze too." 

William nodded, embarrassed by how well Gerard knew him still. Gerard patted his shoulder and thanked him, he didn't stay for much longer after that.

"What was he doing here?" Frank asked as soon as the door closed behind Gerard.

"Just askin' for some booze supply, nothin' special, Frankie." William smiled, deciding to leave out the part where Gerard had made fun of the lad's outfit. 

~ 

Just as Frank and William were about to leave the bar, two people suddenly walked in. Frank's mother and father to be exact. 

"My boy... What have you done?" His mother asked, eyes full of tears. "Frank, son, it is not too late to change your mind. Do not ruin your life like this just because of some _silly_ argument!" His father begged.

Frank felt like he couldn't breathe, all he could do was stare at his pleading parents. William didn't dare to say a word either, this was between Frank and his parents.

"You- you know you will be ruining our lives right? We will be looked at as terrible parents!" His mother wailed hysterically.

"W- We will be the first people in years with... with a- a _pirate_ son," His dad said, with a look of utter disgust on his face. That made his mother fall to her knees, crying into her hands.

Frank's head was pounding, he could hear nothing but the beat of his heart. His parents didn't care, they didn't care about _him..._ all they had ever cared about was their reputation. They'd come to beg Frank to stay, not because they loved him and would miss him, but because they would look like awful people if he didn't. 

"I think you two should leave. Right now." 

His mother looked up at him in shock and his father growled, "What did you just say?" 

Frank saw red. "I have made my decision a long time ago, I am going to leave tomorrow and you can do nothing to stop me." 

Then everything happened really quickly, Frank's father didn't hesitate to punch him in the face, making him and his mother scream. Before he could do any more damage to Frank, William intervened. He could not stand there and watch this pathetic excuse of a man berate and beat his son, who he had bullied and belittled for years, so he knocked him to the ground. 

"Don't ye _ever,_ " William huffed, kicking the man in the stomach, "Show yer face here again! Yer son may be leaving-" Another kick, in the side this time, "But I will still be here, I will tell everyone about what you and your wench of a wife did to your son!" William spat in the man's face before dragging Frank away from the scene, deciding he'd close up the bar later: getting Frank out of here was more important right now. 

~ 

"Ye sure yer good?"

"Yeah, Will, I am. Thank you for helping me." Frank said, smiling softly. He was feeling better than he (and Willaim) had expected, somehow this all felt like a weight being lifted off his shoulders. Sure, being punched by your father and becoming painfully aware of the fact that your parents don't love you isn't exactly a _great_ experience, but, he could let go now. He could board The Lost Rose without the guilt eating away at him. He felt relieved.

He shared this with William, wondering if this was weird of him.

"Nah, Frankie, yer folks have been treating ye like shite for years, it's not weird to feel a sense of relief now ye know all that is over now," William reassured him. "And hey! bein' all nonchalant about a punch in the face is very much a pirate thing." They both laughed at that.

"Now its time to sleep, ye have a big day tomorrow!" William patted Franks back, feeling himself getting sad at the thought of Frank leaving. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> picaroon = a scoundrel


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyyyyyyyy, i know, i know, i say this every time but I am truly sorry about the slow updates. Life has been BUSY. But this story has been on my mind! I had so much fun writing this :) Also, I want to thank you for reading and being so lovely and patient with me!!! I hope you enjoy xx

"Are ye going to blow chunks? Yer quite green." 

Frank swallowed thickly and shook his head no. "Just- you know- nerves." 

"Aye, I know lad. It'll be just fine though." 

William and Frank were making their way to the docks, Frank didn't come there too often so he was glad he had William to help him find the crew.

Frank was carrying his bag (which was now filled with both his pirate _and_ his old clothes) over his shoulder. William wasn't empty-handed either, he had decided to keep his word and bring a bunch of his strongest booze. He hoped that if he kept Gerard in a good mood he wouldn't be too mean to Frank.

William was far more nervous about that bit than he led on, he didn't want to make the situation even more stressful for his already-green-from-nerves friend. 

After a ten-minute walk, the two men arrived at the docks. The smell of ocean and fish was overwhelming. 

"So, where are they?" Frank asked, not seeing any ship that resembled the map he had religiously memorized last night, or pirates for that matter.

"Pirates ain't leave their ships out in the open, Frankie! We gotta walk just a little further, I know where they are."

Frank nodded, feeling silly for thinking his new crew would be waiting for him in such a public place. 

~

Since it was quite early in the morning and the sun hadn't come up entirely yet, Frank didn't notice it at first. 

"There she is!" William said, sounding delighted. Frank followed William's gaze and saw it- _her_ too now. There she was. _The Lost Rose_.

It wasn't the biggest ship Frank had ever seen but it was beautifully made: the wood was so dark that it seemed black, the sails were definitely black and the gunports were a dark, wine red. Frank also noticed a flag fluttering in the wind but couldn't fully see what was on it.

 _The Lost Rose_ looked threatening in the most elegant way. 

Not only was the ship there, the crew was too. Frank and William watched from a distance as a group of about ten men were walking in and out of the majestic ship with barrels and chests. 

William and Frank decided to approach the pirates, not really finding a reason not to.

"Minnow! Ye came!" A cheery voice yelled.

It was Tucker, who looked surprisingly fancy- and clean- for a pirate that was about to board a ship.

He put the barrel he was carrying down. "We was wonderin' when ye would arrive! Some ain't even believe ye would come... But I told ‘em, aye, I told ‘em! O' course ol' Willy would make sure ye were 'ere an' on time! He's no traitor." 

William smiled at the hyper man in front of him, though he had a bad feeling about his friendliness towards Frank. He didn't know why, but he felt like something was off about it. Maybe it had something to do with the thing Gerard had said the other day... " _Guess Tucker can't help himself 'round a pretty face, huh?"_

William tried to shake that thought and asked Tucker where his captain was, holding up the bag full of bottles of booze.

"Cap'n shouldn't be far mate. Probably close to the entrance of the Rose." 

William thanked him and took off without saying anything else, wanting to speak to Gerard.

Frank watched confusedly as William took off, not really knowing what to do without him. Tucker noticed his awkwardness though, "C'mon Frankie, let's take that bag o' yours to the berth deck.

 _Berth deck._.. Frank knew that one! It was where he and the others were going to sleep.

~

"Rum! An' my favorite type... Yer a good fellow, Will. I ain't sharing these, Ha!" Gerard was _very_ cheery. He would be back on his beloved ship soon enough and his friend got him his favorite drink, life was looking good for him.

Of course, William had to ruin that all by talking about Frank.

"Gerard," William groaned as his friend rolled his eyes at the mere mention of Frank's name. "Just make sure he'll be okay, alright? Make him fall in love with the ocean."

Gerard sighed and nodded, thinking about his own love for life at sea and piracy, he didn't have the heart to take that away from anyone.

He, however, wasn't stupid and knew that William didn't only want Frank to stay safe, he also wanted Gerard to prevent his crew from sleeping with Frank. Unfortunately for William that was not any of Gerard's business, in fact, the lad could use some loosening up in Gerard's opinion. 

"Aye. I won't kill the lad." Gerard said eventually, giving William, who was still trying to make it clear that he was talking about more than just not killing Frank, a hug.

"Yea...yea... He's gonna be just fine. Thanks for the booze and help, mate. I hope I will see ye again sometime." Gerard said, looking sincere for once before turning and walking away.

Well, that did not make William feel better about any of this.

~ 

"Wow..." Frank muttered when he entered the ship. The sails looked intimidating from up close and the wooden floor had a beautiful shiny look to it, Frank had never seen a ship like this.

He could also see what was on the flag now: a rose, but if you looked closely you could see a skull inside the pattern of the rosebud. It was a very unique and intricate design.

He didn't have long to admire the main deck though, Tucker had already grabbed his wrist and dragged him towards the berth deck. 

They walked down the stairs and Frank was amazed by his surroundings, this place was amazing. Not at all like the hellhole his childhood stories had convinced him it was going to be. 

The berth deck was a lot darker than the main deck, it was lit up by some stray candles and the light coming from the stairwell hole. The place was already filled with some barrels, personal belongings, and a bunch of white hammocks that were tied to the ceiling with intricate knots. It wasn't _luxurious_ by any means but it was cozy.

"Here we go," Tucker said, smiling at Frank's big, curious eyes scanning the deck. "Ye see the empty hammock there?" 

Frank looked in the direction Tucker was pointing and saw that there was indeed one hammock without a bag or blanket in it. 

"That one's yers. It's pretty close to mine," Tucker pointed to another hammock, which was, as promised, not too far from Frank's. "Go ahead and put ye stuff there, Frankie." 

Frank nodded and walked to his hammock, the floorboards creaking underneath his feet. 

Once he had reached it he realized what a perfect spot he'd gotten: it was in a darker corner which gave him a sense of privacy. He dropped his bag and turned to Tucker. "What now?"

"Now ye help me an' the others with carry in the rest of the stuff. Y'know food an' all that."

Before Frank could nod and return to Tucker someone interrupted.

"Not before ye say goodbye to yer old friend."

William appeared from behind Tucker, who widened his eyes and mumbled something about giving the two some privacy before hurrying up the stairs.

"Will, what? You're leaving already? No... No- You can't just leave me- you cannot just-" Frank panicked, feeling his lower lip tremble and tears stinging in his eyes.

"Frankie..." William walked up to him, "Ye knew I wasn't joinin' the crew again." Frank looked at him, thick tears starting to escape his eyes. 

"Ye know I can't," William said shakily.

"Wh- what... What am I supposed to do without you?"

Frank started to cry, it was an unbearable sight for William, he had to swallow a thick lump in his throat.

Frank suddenly looked so young and fragile. The lad was like his little brother, he'd grown incredibly fond and protective of him, and leaving him with a bunch of older, tougher men sounded like a nightmare right about now. 

But he had to be strong, neither of them had a choice in this. 

"Yer-" William cleared his throat. "Yer gonna be fine, Frankie. Yer tough and-"

"I'M NOT!" Frank yelled hysterically, "I'm not even strong- I have never fought anyone I- I-" 

William interrupted Frank by hugging him, letting him sob into his shoulder. "It'll be alright, Frankie. I promise." Frank didn't respond, all he did was cling harder onto his friend.

"You're stronger than ye think, ye don't need me. I'm just some old friend ye can come visit from time to time okay? I wasn't prepared at all either when I first boarded a ship, and I survived just fine!" 

Frank pulled back, not entirely believing William but feeling a little calmer either way. "I _will_ visit.You have basically saved my life twice, you are the best friend I've ever had. I’ll miss you so much. I just-" he sniffled. "I love you." 

"I love you too, Frankie. This is _not_ a farewell okay? Just a temporary goodbye." 

Neither of the two believed that really, but they both nodded and hugged again anyway. 

When they broke apart Frank wiped the leftover tears on his cheeks away with his hand. 

"I'll be going now okay? Gotta keep the spot secret so I can't be leaving here too late..." William mumbled with a watery smile on his face.

Frank sniffled and nodded. 

They went upstairs together, not knowing what more to say.

Once they had left the ship, they looked at each other again. 

"So this is it then?" 

"I told ye already Frankie, it _isn't._ We will meet again. This is good for ye, and besides, someone has to stay here to bully yer parents with all this."

Frank let out a small laugh, appreciating his friend's ability to stay humorous at all times.

"You're right. Just know I'm forever grateful for that."

"I know, lad, I know. Now come give ye old friend a final hug." 

He did. 

~

"FIFTEEN MORE BARRELS FELLAS! HEAVE HO! FIFTEEN MORE AND WE WILL BE ABLE TO LEAVE THIS GODFORSAKEN PLACE!" Gerard shouted.

Frank helped carry the barrels. William had left a few minutes ago and Frank found that the burning in his muscles and the ache in his bones from carrying things far too heavy for him were doing a great job of distracting him.

There was no time to think about never seeing his best friend again when he had to focus on not dropping a 125-pound barrel on his foot. 

"Ye owe me money, cap'n" Tucker said, watching the small lad struggling with the barrels from a distance.

The crew had made a bet last night: was Frank going to show up or was he going to flee? 

"Aye, aye, I'm aware," the captain grumbled. "Never expected he would show up. He's hopeless."

Tucker shoved his captain "Now don't be such an arse. Ye know William would never betray ye, just like ye wouldn't betray him either. Besides, the shrimp will learn, we all gotta start somewhere."

The captain scoffed, even though he knew Tucker was right about that; he and William would never truly betray each other. 

"What's yer deal with the lad anyway? Did ye bed him or something?" 

Tucker's eyes widened. "No! Cap'n o' course not... sure he's not _unpleasant_ to look at but I didn't. Don't think he'd be into that anyways. And okay if he would be interested o' course I wouldn't say no- ye know it's been _so_ long." 

The captain smirked at the sailor's rambling. 

"Just messin' with ya mate! I don't care where ye stick that dick of yours, hell, I can't even blame ye." Gerard and Tucker watched as Frank bowed to pick up the barrel he had dropped (for the second time). "That behind _does_ look rather appealing."

As if Frank had felt their eyes on him, he turned around to look at them. The men both smirked at the boy's confused face. 

"Never said ye could stop yer work, minnow, There's no rest till I say so, savvy?" Gerard shouted.

"Err- Yes- Uh I mean- Aye, captain." Frank stuttered, hurriedly turning around and getting back to work.

"See? Hopeless."

Tucker grinned. "Whatever, pay up cap'n."

~

It was time. Frank and the crew had managed to bring the final barrels on board and it was now time to leave. For the first time ever it had all hit him.

This was real and he was really going to leave the town he grew up in. It started with William's goodbye, it's like Frank got thrown into reality the second his friend left him. 

Frank was standing on the forecastle, trying to hold back tears.

"Now why so sad, poppet?" Someone, John, said. 

"Oh..." Frank felt embarrassed that someone had noticed him. "Just not used to change, I guess." Frank had also wanted to add how he didn't see himself adding anything valuable to the crew but he felt like that was kind of a deathwish. 

"Aye, that's understandable, but don't ye worry doll, there's nothing better than life at sea." The pirate squeezed Frank's shoulder.

"And ye can't forget the riches o' course, oh ye will be swimming in treasures, jewelry, gold, whatever yer heart desires. Consider yerself lucky to be on board of The Lost Rose, doll." He added dreamily. Frank looked at the hand on his shoulder, the man was already wearing countless rings but apparently, he still did not have enough. 

"WEIGH THE ANCHOR, ME HEARTIES!" The captain suddenly yelled. 

Loud cheering erupted from the crew, Frank had never heard something so... _euphoric._

"It's happening, poppet! We're finally leaving." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heave ho: instruction to put some strength into whatever one is doing  
> to weigh the anchor: to haul the anchor up; more generally, to leave port.


End file.
